Session 22 - The Dark Sanctum
Exhausted from their long day and night investigating the connection between Port-of-Utopia's undead attacks and the Arcane Academy, the heroes regrouped at the Palace of 1000 Pleasures and spent a day resting and strategizing, but not before a visit to Grand Priest Umi at the Grand Pentacle Temple. They gave some details of their investigation thus far, and Umi was horrified that necromantic interest at the Arcane Academy was involved and adamant that word of it not get out, especially to the New Church of Apexion, who had plans to move on the Academy and "purge" it given any chance. Umi told the heroes that undead attacks had increased and advised them to at least cull the undead. An appearance of control was better than none, even if they could not find the source immediately. Half-elf bard Haeven took the time his companions were resting to approach Master Gazek of the Felsic Combine, discussing the unrest in the city and the goblin's desire to reach Elysium, though he seemed to believe there would be no way of reaching the island continent through normal means. Gazek made mention of a weapon that could turn the tide against the human threat. Haeven offered use of his network of half-elf agents in the city, a means of connecting them, and Gazek proposed a job offer, since the Combine is always in need of non-goblinoid "agents." Haeven said he would consider it before returning to his friend. With the dangers in mind of their first foray into the Necropolis, the heroes decided they would proceed within, but not before ample preparations. Half-elf paladin Arindrake described magically imbued holy water, and the group decided six or seven vials would give them a slight advantage over any undead they came across. Arindrake returned to the Grand Pentacle Temple and requested as many vials of holy water as they could prepare, in service of stopping the undead attacks. Between efforts by Umi and their spellcasters and Arindrake they came up with six vials of holy water, distributed amongst the group. The morning after their day of rest and preparation they proceeded to the Necropolis, but found the northern bridge and the nearby pentacle temple was occupied by a squadron of armed and armoured New Church of Apexion soldiers. The group decided it was not worth a confrontation, even though half-orc fighter Phryne wanted to hurl insults at them, so they proceeded clockwise around the Gods Lake, passing through the elven district at the southern end of the lake before finding themselves at the southern end of the expanse of the city cemetery, also guarded by New Church soldiers. Half-elf druid Percival summoned a spell that would cloak the heroes in magic, aiding them in sneaking by the New Church soldiers. Percival, Arindrake and Phryne had no issues blending into the buildings and scenery, and found themselves on the opposite side of the blockade. Haeven and half-air spirit monk Aubrey, however, had no luck, and everything that could go wrong did. Haeven gave a flourish to the soldiers before turning invisible, while Aubrey used his superior speed to dash down into the lake, and his air spirit ability let him swim beneath the water for as long as he wanted. Eventually the heroes regrouped in the cemetary and proceeded into the Necropolis. The cavernous main hall was much as Haeven, Phryne and Aubrey had left it, a serious of thick stone columns built with six-foot indentations, curling up at intervals from floor to ceiling so each column with a honeycomb look to each column, where they weren't in various states of collapse. The group could see shapes of the undead shambling about, but they used Percival's spell to proceeded into the Necropolis unnoticed. A section of the northern wall was collapsed, and the southern portion was flooded. At the western end of the hall was a massive staircase, strangely untouched by the years, which they proceeded up. They found more collapsed sections and undead, but the southern portion had a thick stone door with an ancient lock, which Aubrey managed to pick. Inside Haeven, still invisible, found an old, desiccated corpse. The body was humanoid, long rotted away so only bones and a little bit of black hair was left, dressed in cracked, disintegrating leather armour and armed with a rusted short sword, and might have once had the various accoutrements of a cave diver. He turned the body over and found a small leather pouch, well preserved, with seven moonstones within. The body was swathed in a beautiful, sturdy cloak that time and even dirt and dust has seemed not to touch. Haeven pocked the cloack, but shared the moonstones. The room had a small fast flowing river within that the companions would need to make through to proceeded. They began wading upstream but Phryne decided to hop from stone to stone to stay dry. A slip sent her tumbling, pushed by the heavy subterraneous stream and she knocked each of her companions down, sending them surging down into the main chamber, spluttering and wet. They snuck past the undead again and Percival transformed into a bear and walked some rope upstream, allowing his companions to pull themselves through the water. The heroes proceeded into the central chamber of the Necropolis, a cavernous sanctum of sorts with an enormous sarcophagus, four feet high, twenty feet wide and forty feet long. The entire structure was made of an onyx so dark and black it seems to not reflect light. The lid of the sarcophagus was a stone slab that would take extraordinary effort to lift. They quickly dispatched three shambling undead, but could hear more nearby, so they set about investigating the crypt. Percival proceeded further into the sanctum where more rooms sat open. He glanced in one and saw a small group of undead. Running back to the group to warn them he passed by two other rooms filled with undead who were shambling into the main sanctum. He returned to warn his companions, urging Aubrey to unlock another thick set of stone doors with an intricate lock the western end of the room. Strangely, in cracks and crevices throughout the crypt small collections of glowing teal crystals grow out of the stone. Aubrey immediately set about picking the lock, and after a few seconds heard a thick "clunk" followed by four clicking noises. Did the lock have five sets to it? Haeven brushed some dust off the the top of the sarcophagus and discovered it was decorated with a series of sigils, the pentacled eye they'd found in a chamber deeper in the mountain, one they now knew was the sigil of the Necromancer Lord. As a horde of undead, with three massive, perverse amalgams of corpses following the main group, shambled into the room the companions prepared for battle. Percival cast a spell creating a spike field in front of the middle door, tearing at the undead as they shambled through it. Haeven used a wand to cast a magical web spell, while Phryne and Aubrey began to fend off the undead attackers, cutting a number of them down. Percival began to lob off spells while Arindrake drew his flail and imbued it with divine magic, striking out at the horde. Haeven set fire to the web, burning a number of the undead before casting another web spell, trapping more. Arindrake stood his ground, taking some damage while battering back the undead horde that gathered around him and his companions. Two hulking masses of corpses began to attack Aubrey and Phryne, injuring the two significantly so that Haeven and Percival had to rush to their aid with healing spells. Emboldened, Phryne began to cut through the horde with Mildred, her dark blade, while Aubrey pushed his monkly ki powers into his attacks, destroy the undead horde in droves. Soon they found themselves victorious with a horde of a couple dozen undead at their feet. ACTIVE QUESTS -Figure out the source of the undead in the Port-of-Utopia Cemetary, continue onwards into the Necropolis' chambers -Phryne is allowed to request a boon from the worshippers of Excelsion -Haeven has informally promised to help Master Gazek reach Elysium, offered his half-elf network, been offered employment with the Combine -Gain an audience with the Elven Senate of Elysium to present what they know of the goblin activity (perhaps using Lady Aevara of Victor's amulet) -Investigate the encroaching dark forces from the East for the forest spirit (party thinks that the magical and destructive properties of tealstone, these goblin factories and Ghazek from Gobelton have something to do with it) -Escort Edlee to Elysium